Tide shifts focus to Gen. Y

Laundry detergent Tide claims it is no longer just for moms and housewives, thanks to its new mobile television series called "Crescent Heights." The show debuted online and on mobile phones on September 18 and targets a younger market.

The new series developed in conjunction with mobile television firm GoTV Networks is a brand integrated original program created specifically to be viewed on the mobile device or online.

"We like to think of Tide as a brand of the people and we would like to reach different people, and now we are reaching out to young professionals," said Allison Yang, external relations for fabric care at Procter & Gamble.

"It's a market that we haven't reached before and this younger generation has their eyes on their cell phone and mobile television is really exciting to this group," she said.

"Crescent Heights" is a four to five minute scripted comedy series about a group of recent LA transplants who meet up in an apartment building in the City of Angels. The show is sponsored by the Tide brand and includes product integration with a fashionable young set.

"We wanted the series to be fashion-focused where there is content about what a character is going to wear or have scenes in the laundry room," Yang added. "We often reach out to people through their clothing and fashion, which is a lot more exciting than laundry."

One scene includes two guys playing "Couch Olympics" to change the channel of the TV when the remote goes missing. One kicks a pair of sandals across the room, which land in the laundry basket where a bottle of Tide presides. Episodes that do not include shots of the product itself within the show will feature a Tide logo title at the end.

"We wanted to make the creative a real story about the lives of people and put this creative around the product," said Chris Greenleaf, vice president of entertainment at GoTV Networks.

The episodes were written and produced by the team at GoTV Networks including Christopher May, Chris Greenleaf and Chris W. King, in conjunction with TV and film industry directors including Joe Eckardt who directed "High Hopes," John Putch director of the television show "Scrubs," as well as writer Mike Martineau, who wrote "Rescue Me."

The first episode of the series debuted on September 18, and the next nine episodes will debut every Tuesday at Tide.com, www.4gotv.com and GoTV Networks's broadband and mobile network, which is distributed on AT&T and Sprint. New episodes will launch weekly throughout the fall and they encourage consumers to get involved.

Consumers who opt-in to receive text messages about the show will be invited to participate in the show's creation. After an episode airs, viewers will be invited to text in answers to questions such as which guy Ashley should date or which job Will should take.

"We wanted to give the user the opportunity to be the creator of the show and dictate where the story will go," Greenleaf added.